Canada to Soon Designate White Supremacy Groups as Terrorists - Reports

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th January, 2021) The Canadian government is nearing a decision to designate home-grown white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups as terrorist organizations, Toronto Star reported on Thursday, citing sources.

This includes such movements as Atomwaffen, O9A and The Base, according to the report.

While their presence in Canada gained limelight in the wake of the January 6 unrest in the United States, the newspaper's sources said that Canadian intelligence agencies have been quietly probing them "for months" to determine if their activities meet the legal threshold to be designated as terrorist acts.

Canadian Public Safety Minister Bill Blair's office has reportedly warned at least one anti-hate advocacy group to expect the decision imminently but declined to comment on the matter to the newspaper.

The designation will entail such consequences as asset freezes and property seizures, as well as make the membership in such groups illegal.

On January 6, supporters of ex-US President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol Hill building as members of Congress were underway certifying his defeat in the presidential election. Among the angry mob, there were members of the Proud Boys movement, known for its far-right white supremacy ideologies.